The fundamental difference between the Tomatometer score and the Metacritic score lies in what they measure: the Tomatometer indicates the percentage of positive reviews, while the Metascore represents the average critic rating on a scale of 0 to 100.
Understanding the Tomatometer Score
The Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes measures the percentage of professional critics who gave a movie a positive review. It essentially reflects the probability that a typical critic would view the movie favorably.
- Binary Assessment: Each critic's review is categorized as either "Fresh" (positive) or "Rotten" (negative), regardless of the intensity of their praise or criticism. The original score given by a critic is converted into this binary outcome.
- Consensus Indicator: A high Tomatometer score (e.g., 90%) means 90 out of 100 critics liked the movie. It's a gauge of critical consensus.
- Thresholds: A movie is considered "Fresh" if 60% or more of its reviews are positive. If it falls below 60%, it's deemed "Rotten." Highly-rated films with at least 80 reviews from Top Critics and a score of 75% or higher receive the "Certified Fresh" distinction.
Understanding the Metascore
The Metascore on Metacritic calculates a weighted average of critic reviews, converting each review into a numerical score from 0 to 100. This score represents the expected rating a typical critic would assign the movie.
- Graded Assessment: Unlike the binary nature of the Tomatometer, the Metascore captures the nuance of critic opinions, where a score of 80 indicates higher quality than 70, and 70 is better than 60.
- Weighted Average: Metacritic assigns different weights to critics based on their prominence, quality, and historical review consistency, meaning some critics' scores influence the Metascore more than others.
- Color-Coded Interpretation: Metacritic uses a color-coded system to categorize scores:
- Green: Generally favorable reviews (typically 61-100)
- Yellow: Mixed or average reviews (typically 40-60)
- Red: Generally unfavorable reviews (typically 0-39)
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | Tomatometer Score (Rotten Tomatoes) | Metascore (Metacritic) |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Percentage of critics with positive reviews | Weighted average of critic scores (0-100 scale) |
| Nature | Binary (Fresh/Rotten) consensus | Graded (nuanced) average sentiment |
| Interpretation | How many critics liked it (even slightly) | How much critics liked it, on average |
| Calculation | Count of positive reviews / Total reviews * 100 | Weighted average of numerical scores converted from reviews |
| Impact of review intensity | None (a slightly positive review counts the same as a glowing one) | Significant (a 90/100 review impacts more than a 60/100 review) |
Practical Implications and Examples
Understanding these differences is crucial because a movie's performance on one platform might not directly correlate with the other, leading to different perceptions of critical success.
-
High Tomatometer, Moderate Metascore: A film could have an 80% Tomatometer score but a Metascore of 65. This often means many critics found the film to be good enough (positive), but few found it to be truly great (resulting in a moderate average score). For example, a reliable, well-made genre film that meets expectations but doesn't break new ground might fall into this category.
-
Moderate Tomatometer, Moderate Metascore: A film with a 55% Tomatometer (Rotten) and a Metascore of 58 could indicate a polarizing film. It failed to achieve majority critical consensus, but the average score suggests it wasn't universally hated, perhaps receiving very high praise from some and very low scores from others. An art-house film or a controversial piece might exhibit this pattern.
In essence, the Tomatometer tells you if a movie is generally liked by critics, while the Metascore tells you how well it's liked, providing a more granular assessment of its perceived quality.
